The Majestic Waterfall Of The God’s - Godafoss! 🇮🇸✈️🏂❄️ When Iceland was first settled in the 9th and 10th Centuries, the vast majority were Norwegians who followed the Old Norse religion, worshipping deities like Thor, Odin, Loki and Freya. However, after the Commonwealth was established in 930 AD, pressure to convert began to push from Christianising Europe.
By 1000 AD, it seemed that Norway would almost certainly invade if the country were to stand by their pagan beliefs. The issue was thus discussed at Þingvellir, where the parliament met once a year. The lawspeaker at the time, the Ásatrú priest (or goði) Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði, was given the responsibility to make the decision.
It is said he sat beneath a birch for a day and a night in silence, praying to his Old Gods for the right decision. Eventually, he emerged and said, for the good of the people, Christianity would be the official religion, but pagans could practice in private.
To symbolise his decision, he returned to his home in north Iceland and threw idols of the Old Gods into a beautiful waterfall. Since then, it would be known as Goðafoss. #Goðafoss#waterfall#iceland#arcticadventures#extremeiceland#guidetoiceland#icelandic#norwegian#gods#nordicstory#legend#christianity#snow#ice#water#christmas#lifeontheroad#life#travel#adventure#noregrets#nomad#hippie#explore#majestic#naturalbeauty

Meeting The Yule Lads! 🇮🇸✈️🏂 Yule Lads are the sons of the old trolls Grýla and Leppalúði from Icelandic folklore & is an old Christmas tradition. Grýla and Leppalúði keep a pet, a wicked cat, which may sometimes catch children. Grýla, who is big and formidable, was said to collect the naughty children in a sack and take them home to eat for Christmas dinner.
13 days prior to Christmas the Yule Lads start coming down from the mountains one each night. Children of Iceland place their best shoe on their windowsill before going to bed and each night a little gift is left in the shoe from the Yule lad that came down from the mountain that night. If the child has been naughty, a raw potato left instead.
The Yule Lads aren’t as mean as their parents but they aren´t very well-mannered either. The Icelandic Christmas season begins on December 12th, when Stekkjastaur descends from the mountains. The last one, Kertasníkir arrives on Aðfangadagur, Christmas day on the 24th of December. Then they leave again to the mountains, one by one in the same order until the last one, Kertasníkir leaves on the last day of Christmas, January 6th.
#yulelads#icelandicfolklore#icelandictradition#storytelling#christmasstory#christmas#iceland#icelandic#story#life#travel#adventure#noregrets#ice#snow#fire#arcticadventures#extremeiceland#guidetoiceland#natgeo#discovery#nomad#lifeontheroad